New Library to Serve as Community Anchor
The new library, now under construction, in Green Valley Ranch will be a library of the twenty-first century.
An environmentally green design, discovery pods (areas for interactive activities) and the latest in technology are all part of the plan. There will also be approximately 100,000 new books, CDs and DVDs; cozy reading nooks, 50 new public access computers and Wi-Fi throughout the building.
Going Green: The branch will achieve LEED-NC (New Construction) Silver Certification and Energy Star status. This designation will be achieved through the strategic use of various sustainable construction methodologies, and will allow the facility to function at a highly efficient level that will reduce its operational impacts on the Library, the City and the constituents that it serves. The City has mandated that the building be rated Silver, at the minimum, but it is expected that the final rating will be Gold.
The Library will also serve as a teaching tool to show its customers how a facility operates and how practical steps – when taken carefully – can result in a better building for all.
The Green Valley Ranch Library will be the first new facility designed to support the Denver Public Library’s innovative Children’s & Family Services program, with an emphasis on bringing children, their friends and their parents together to enjoy the library.
Plains and Planes: The form of the proposed design was derived from community comments, emphasizing the library’s relation to the plains landscape and the airplanes of Denver International Airport. The design celebrates the “i-plains” and the “e-planes” with an aerodynamic roof form, structural detailing derived from early aircraft design and the long and linear shapes created by strip farming and other dry-land agricultural techniques.
The concept of the “i-plains” and the “e-planes” focuses on the connection between the green space of the plains to the south of the library and the library interior.
Discovery Pods: The 26,000-square-foot facility is designed around the four wings or strips that organize the library. Each wing offers areas with different levels of activity that distinguishes it from the neighboring spaces. The library will offer open, flexible interior spaces, which combine adult’s and children’s collections around “discovery pods” designed for shared learning.
A community lounge space will offer a quiet reading area with outdoor views, while a sub-dividable 100–seat community room and a smaller collaborative space will allow for community gatherings of all sizes.
To facilitate family use of the library, children’s materials will occupy zones of low shelving defined by taller shelving with adult fiction and multimedia collections co-located nearby. Additionally, dedicated areas are provided for shared and family use of computers.
The Library will serve as a community anchor and a location for social networking, learning and discovery.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held March 13 with elected officials, members of the community, and Library executives coming together to celebrate the occasion. The Library is scheduled to open in early 2011.
